Godsent Ogbebor
France has transferred its second military base in Chad to the Chadian government, completing another phase of its troop withdrawal from the country.
The Abéché base, located in eastern Chad, was handed over on Saturday in a ceremony attended by Defence Minister Issaka Malloua Djamouss. This move follows Chad’s decision in November to end military cooperation with France, its former colonial ruler.
French forces began their withdrawal in December, with all troops expected to leave Chad by January 31.
Speaking at the ceremony, Djamouss described the handover as a significant milestone toward the “final and total withdrawal” of French forces, emphasizing that the January 31 deadline is “imperative, irreversible, and non-negotiable.”
Approximately 100 French troops left the Abéché base on Saturday, following the earlier departure of convoys carrying equipment on Friday. This comes after the mid-December handover of the Faya base in northern Chad and the departure of fighter jets and 120 soldiers earlier in the month.
French troops have been present in Chad since its independence in 1960, providing military training and air support. Their assistance was instrumental in repelling several rebel attempts to overthrow the government over the decades. At its height, France maintained 1,000 personnel in Chad, making it the last Sahel country to host French troops following withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
During the ceremony, Fabien Talon, a representative of the French embassy, highlighted the enduring friendship between Chad and France despite the evolving nature of their partnership.
Chad’s move to end military cooperation with France signals a shift in its geopolitical alliances. President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who took office in 2021 after his father’s death in combat with rebels, described the military agreement with France as outdated and inconsistent with Chad’s current political and strategic realities.
Chad has recently sought to strengthen ties with Russia, engaging in discussions about economic cooperation. However, no significant agreements have been finalized.
Meanwhile, France’s withdrawal from Chad marks the conclusion of its Barkhane operation in the Sahel, which once deployed over 5,000 troops to combat jihadist threats in the region.
